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Final Fantasy IX (PSX, 2000)

We’ve all heard the story: that FFIX was meant to be Squaresoft’s love letter to its fans, a magical trip heavily laced with nostalgia and tribute. After the stopovers in Gaia and Galbadia, it was time to return home.

If you’ve been away from your parents’ house for any extended period of time, then you’ll know what we’re talking about. You walk in the door, greeted by a waft of your mother’s cooking and an instant, if temporary, amnesia of anything bad that ever happened in that house.

Or in this case: The familiar “smells” of the old style towns. The welcome sight of the disproportionate character design. And when you (in a non-creepy way) witnessed Garnet rest her head on an inn pillow, you felt as if you were crawling into your own childhood bed.